The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission exists to enforce the nation’s workplace anti-discrimination laws. It began operating in 1965, one year after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which established the agency. 

The EEOC enforces the employment-related sections of seven federal laws. One of its chief functions is to accept, investigate, mediate and litigate charges of discriminations. For more than two decades, the commission has collected and published data detailing its work in this area.

There’s a lot to unpack in these numbers. Below, three charts offer a look into what EEOC’s statistics say about the charges the agency receives, both past and present. 

1. Starting with FY2020

2. The big picture

3. A glance at some specifics